Great Weekend!

My family came down this weekend and I had a lot of fun. For Christmas I got basketball tickets for my grandparents to see Nebraska vs. Texas Tech. They came down two years ago for this game as well, and I wanted to do this again for them because I know how much my grandma loves basketball. Mom decided this year she wanted to come too and it worked out perfect that it was a weekend game so she only had to take Friday off of work. I thought about getting Kansas tickets for them instead, but it was in the middle of the week and that just wouldn't have worked out as well. Friday night Mom took us, Drake, Teetz and Britt out to dinner as a late birthday dinner for me, since I wasn't home on my actual birthday. I know I have a lot of birthdays, but come on, how many princesses do you really know? I got to choose, so of course I picked Red Lobster, my most favorite restaurant of all. Then Teetz and I hung out at the hotel with my family for a while, then he left and I stayed with the fam. Saturday we all went to the game together, minus Drake, because he doesn't really dig Nebrasketball, then we went to Cracker Barrell afterward because it is tradition when my family is in town that we go there, so all of us, minus Britt this time, went out for dinner again. Mom took me to Wal-Mart for stuff I didn't completely and totally need, but it was fun nonetheless. I got a new carrying case for my scrapbook stuff and some seasonal paper and a new scissors. Yay. I know, I know, I should have had her buy me practical stuff, like food, but she did that too so it's all good. Teetz went out last night then, and I definitely didn't go because 1) my family was in town, duh, and 2) he was with Jake and Jake's girlfriend, who I really can't stand because she is so fake. Plus, I got to hang with the family and Teetz would be so proud of me because we watched some of the Olympics. I decided I want to do the ski jump thingy because I think it would be awesome. I'd probably fall though and end up breaking something, like my neck. Drake and I hung out there til late and talked for a while. Then this morning my family, Drake and I all met for breakfast and that was good too. All in all, it was a very good weekend, even though it is always tough when my family leaves. But I'll hopefully be going home soon so I can see them and Holden and Nicholas too.

My Cousins

Okay, I haven't recently, but normally I talk about two of my cousins pretty often, Holden, and Nicholas. It occurred to me that some of my friends don't know what these two little adorable devils look like, so I decided to post a couple pictures from when Drake and I went to Minnesota back in September for Holden's 3rd birthday.

This is Holden having some of his birthday cake and being a goofball. He is such a doll. Last year around Thanksgiving, just after he'd turned two, I taught him to say 'Hey baby', so he said it all the time, and then he stopped for a while so everyone thought he forgot about it when I went back to school. Then one night he and his mother were out to eat and there was a lady sitting by herself at a table behind Holden, and she was all dressed up, so Holden turned around and said it to her. It's amusing, and he is such a cutie.

This is Nicholas and this picture was just taken in September also, he's going to be two in April. He has a strange fascination with my turtle Wendall, which is unusual because this kid can not sit still for anything. Yet any time he knows Wendall is around he just wants to stare at him. It's really cute to hear him say 'turtle' or 'Wendall' because it usually comes out 'tutle' and 'Dendall'. This kiddo has a horrible temper already though, and it's kinda funny when he gets mad because his ears turn red. I know that's a little mean, but he's just so adorable when he gets mad, you can't help but laugh, which makes him even more mad.

I just love my boys so much, I wish I got to see them more often. I might be going home this weekend though, so hopefully I can see them then :)

Rose Bowl Prediction Came True

It wasn't the blow-out I expected, but yes, #2 Texas defeated #1 USC in the Rose Bowl tonight. I had that figured from the start - USC is a great team, don't get me wrong, and I have nothing against them. However, I do feel that a lot of the hype still surrounding them has a lot to do with their success in the last two seasons. Texas is a better, stronger, faster team and as much as it pains me to admit it, I am kind of glad they won. They should have been ranked #1 longer throughout the season, but alas, at least in #1 vs. #2 we know who the better team was tonight. We have another four years of BCS madness to look forward to now, but hopefully in that time they can work the kinks out of the system or do something more like a play-off. I know it sounds impossible, but when you have coaches like Lloyd Carr saying a play-off would be better than the BCS system, you know something needs to be fixed.

I went to Belmont today to pick up some bookorders and see the kiddos. I missed them a lot and it was fun to see what they were up to.

Teetz is sick :( That makes me sad. He's still in Minneapolis and won't be back until late Friday night, his flight comes in at like, 11. Argh. But yay, he will be back soon!

Drake is coming back Friday, also very exciting. I love vacations and relaxing, but I get bored after a while and like returning to my normal routine and my normal routine includes friends and the boyfriend. It isn't happening soon enough.

February 18th is the Texas Tech game vs. Nebraska. Bobby Knight is so much fun to watch, I love when Tech comes to Devaney. It's a weekend game, and Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa are coming too. Yay. Britt's birthday is the 17th though, so I am sure we will have to be doing some celebrating that Friday. We are 23 almost, yikes.

Days til my birthday: 12!!!!

Hodge Podge

Lots of stuff going on. Two weeks are going great, except I had my 4th observation today by my supervisor. She's lame and pisses me off, but whatever, I'm done in December. Next week Mrs. Dabbert, the principal, is observing me. I'm excited, she's awesome. I wish all principals were like her, life would be grand.

I'm going home this weekend. Yesterday was my mom's birthday and she is by no means old, but she feels old. Hopefully we can have fun this weekend and she won't feel so old then. I got her season 2 of Quantum Leap on DVD. That used to be our show we'd watch once a week. I miss having traditions like that. I miss Minnesota. I hate Nebraska.

We probably won't get a bowl game this year. Big surprise. Lost to Kansas for the first time in 30+ years. Do you know how disheartening it is to watch a shitty team like Kansas tear down their goal posts? Everyone is going to say blah blah they're not shitty now. This is what I have to say in response: "Fuck you, they always have been shitty and even at our worst (last season) we beat them so shut up shut up shut up." Not the most mature, but it gets my point across. I hate Kansas.

I love FRIENDS though and am actually contemplating blowing a huge amount of money on the boxed set. I shouldn't, but I feel like I deserve a present, so I might. I think when I do buy it, I will watch it from start to finish. I wonder how long it will take me. I can't wait.

Teetz and I hung out last night and watched SVU. Next week's episode advertised a show centering on Olivia again. I wonder why Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay never appear in episodes together anymore. I hypothesized they got into a huge blow-out and can't be in scenes together anymore. Teetz logically pointed out they might just be alternating vacation time, but here are two reasons why he is probably wrong: 1) Who gets a vacation every other week from work and 2) neither had this many vacations LAST season. If anyone knows the real answer, feelo free to share. Also, Teetz got me a way cool shot glass when he was in North Carolina and went to one of the bazillion ACC stores. He even went to Durham, but thankfully did not actually see Cameron Indoor Stadium (you know, the building where the Blue Devils play, the same building my first-born son or daughter will be named after...). He said he drove down Cameron Blvd, but it just wouldn't have felt right to see Cameron Indoor without me. He is so thoughtful when he wants to be.

Sometimes I think some of the people in my life need a wake-up call. I am the way that I am and have been for the majority of my almost-23 years. That is not something that will change over night and regardless of how some people think I "should" be, that is not always how I actually "am". I am aware that not all aspects of my personality are great, while I can be charming and social when I want, I can just as easily be cold and heartless and just plain mean. I am sorry that after all this time some people are now expecting me to suddenly change these things over night because that is impossible, nothing changes over night. I have my reasons for why I act the way I do in certain situations and right now it can't be helped.

I think I enjoy Jack and Coke a little too much. I did some random quiz at BlogThings, as you saw before, and my results came up saying I was an angry drunk. I should try taking it again and answering in terms of EVERYTHING I drink on a given night, not just how I feel when I drink Jack and Coke. Isn't it strange how you feel differently when you drink one thing compared to another? I'm sure mostly it is psychological, but whiskey makes me mean, yet I love it anyway.

The portfolio is going well. I am getting near halfway. I know that doesn't sound very far, but considering all the work that has gone into it, that's damn good. I am anxious to be done with school, and again I have been seriously considering moving to Alaska for a few years to teach up there. I think it would be such a great opportunity and a whole new experience that I would really benefit from. Unfortunately, I wouldn't see my family or friends ever, but it wouldn't be for the rest of my life, and it would make the times we WOULD get to see each other that much better. Who knows.

Days til 'FRIENDS: The One With All Ten Seasons' comes out on DVD: FOUR!!!!! OMG I CAN NOT WAIT I AM GOING TO PEE MY PANTS, I AM THAT EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Real Entry For Today

The weekend was quite eventful for Drake and I; I was lucky enough to get a little time off from everywhere in order to make it home for my cousin Holden's third birthday party and Drake switched one of his RA duties in order to go with me. We left right away Friday when I was done at Belmont and got to Minnesota around 10 pm that evening. Wendall went with because I didn't want to leave him for four days with the chance of him not being fed. Unfortunately Drake wears a size 13 shoe and thus has rather large feet. Luckily, Wendall was only knocked over once, though for the rest of the trip he rode on my lap even though I was driving. I could tell Mom really liked him, and it helps that he is extra polite and uses 'Ma'am' and 'Sir' when addressing those older than him. Plus, they could gang up on me and tease me so that helped them bond. Early the next morning we all got up to go to the Renaissance Festival. This is something we have done every year for as long as I can remember. I have missed a few here and there because of school and not being able to make it back to Minnesota, but this time I was able to and it was a lot of fun. Even Drake had fun, although I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that he actually got to eat a ginormous turkey leg - something he wants to be able to do on Halloween when he dresses up as a Viking. I have a picture and will post it at some point, but can't right now because I am at work. I also ran into my most favorite English teacher from high school, or rather, he scared me when he walked up behind me and said 'Go Packers' really loud in my ear. We chatted for a while and I was glad I got to see him because I knew I wouldn't have another chance while I was at home, since it was the weekend and of course no one was at the school. (On a side note about my high school: the wonderful gym floor that was installed right before my senior year was destroyed under a foot of water this summer. They are adding another wing to our school and someone didn't do their job and a water pump was not shut off, so the floor was under a foot of water. It will be done in time for basketball, but so far volleyball has played all away games because they have to fix the floor. That really made me sad when I think about the final basketball season when I was manager, and I think about all the games played on that floor and how, for our very last home game, all the seniors kissed the shamrock with 'Irish' emblazoned on it at center court. It really sucks, so thanks to the guy who didn't turn off the water, we appreciate your lack of hard work, good job). That evening my grandpa grilled steaks because I love steak, and my grandma made her amazing Oreo Cookie Dessert. I love it, it is the best dessert in the world. The entire family was at Grandma and Grandpa's except for my uncle Todd, his wife Kris, and their son Holden, but that's to be expected. I was glad I got to see Nicholas a lot that day, he is growing so fast - he turned one in April and is just running around and getting into all sorts of hilarious trouble. I love it. Sunday was just as jam-packed with stuff to do for Drake and I. We went to the Vikings/Saints game and the Vikes won, thank goodness, otherwise we'd be 0-3 and then I don't know what I or my mother would do. We left a little bit early when it was clear the Vikes were going to win, and had a little time to kill before heading to Holden's birthday, so we drove to Rosemount so I could show him where I was really from. It's not that I mind Waseca or anything, it's just that I am not from there, it is where Mom lives now. I have no ties to the high school, the sports teams, or anything, it is not where memories of my childhood exist, it is not the place that made me who I am. We drove around for a while and I pointed out places of importance, then we went on to Holden's party and hung out there with the tons of people who were invited to the shin-dig. I was glad Drake was able to meet everyone, and not just my mom, because I was able to meet a large number of his relatives already and it gives him a better understanding of me, I think. I know at one point we were talking and I was saying one thing and he was saying something else. He turns to my mom and asks, "How do you win?" and she and my grandma both said immediately, "You don't" which made me laugh, because it is true. He just shook his head, but gave me a kiss so I guess he is willing to deal with it for the rest of his life :). Monday morning came far too quickly for me, we met my grandparents in Owatonna for breakfast and it turned out to be more of a brunch, then headed back to Lincoln. It was a great trip and I am psyched because now hopefully over Fall Break I will get to go home with Drake and meet some more of his family and some of his friends, though that part kind of worries me a little bit. Family is easy to handle, friends are the difficult part. We'll just have to see what happens.

Happy Easter...if you're into that sort of thing

JohnRoss made Easter brunch for Ashley, Teetz and I today and I think I actually went one whole sitting without offending Ashley. I was on my best behavior. We're going to buy a birthday present for Teetz's brother, who by the way is so hott. I don't hesitate to tell Teetz that every day. This is all the blog you're getting, because I am bored with this already and don't think any of you really need to know what is going on in my life. Especially you. You know who you are.